The End Is Here
by Afatcat101
Summary: A loud gunshot rang sharply in her left ear; the grip of the infected man disappeared, as well as the graze of his teeth; and blood sprayed as the man fell to the floor. Juliet flinched, feeling the warm red liquid hit her face.  Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Let me start off with an apology to any of you who follow me. My laptop has been out of my hands for the last few months, so I couldn't write or post…Well, I could write on my iPod. And I did. And this is the story. So for you guys, this is a peace offering; I give you this so you don't kill me. Deal?**

**Anyway…I've discovered this show called Psych. And it's amazing; I fell in love instantly! This is not my first written fanfiction for the show; I have plenty more, but they're on my iPod. I'll make them into one of those IPod-music-shuffle things.**

**I have a lot to say, but I don't want to write a whole page with just notes….I'm digressing. Please do enjoy this story, and please do give me a response. Any response is a rood response, whether it be praise or criticism. I can't improve my writing if I don't get feedback, so give me what you think and I'll give you a pineapple smoothie.**

**And finally, disclaimers!**

**I don't own Psych. I don't own characters of any sort besides the ones that I create (which, in this chapter, are all but Juliet I believe).**

**One last thing. My IPod kinda sucks with stories, and when I copied the email of it to my Word document, the whole outline was weirded out. Just a heads up in case you see anything that doesn't look properly placed**

**Enjoy!**

Rain fell through the sky in small drops. They soaked whatever they touched, ending in dark splotches. The drops touched infernos, dampening the power of the flames as they swallowed the fibers of the buildings until there was nothing but ash that remained. The ground was black as night, topped with the flickering flames and sprinkled with the cool liquid. Smoke filled the air, polluting the sky with a sickening cloud of death. Nothing could survive.

Under the soil, deep underground, people hid. They were safe down below, living in this building. Fortunately they had built this in advance, preparing for the end of the world. Unfortunately the event had come so instantly, very few people made it under, and even fewer survived the illness.

Underground, the walls and ceilings and floors were reinforced by tile and metal. Water gathered on the ceiling, leaking through the fine cracks in the metal. The liquid formed a droplet of water, which clung to the surface until it grew too heavy and fell. It dropped through the dim lighted air, landing on the cheek of an unconscious woman.

Her eyes fluttered from the contact, jerking her from her unconscious state. She looked around the room as her thoughts swam with confusion. Her head throbbed as she tried to recall her life before her. The room was dim, but her eyes adjusted instantly to the light. Before she got up, she heard a voice.

"Do you remember anything?" the voice asked, sounding rough, yet very soft. When he got no reply, he spoke again, "well don't worry, you're still welcome here."

The girl looked towards the voice, catching her eye on a young man leaning against the wall. He looked in his late twenties, but his eyes told her that he had seen much more than other men his age. Something about that aspect felt familiar to the woman. As if she had witnessed whatever trials he had.

The man shrugged away from the wall, "the name's Marc. There's a shower through the door to your left and a fresh pair of clothes. When you're done you can come to the dining room just through the door across from you." He stepped away from the wall.

"Juliet."

Marc stopped and turned to the blonde, "pardon?"

"My name Is Juliet O'Hara. I'm a detective for the SBPD."

Marc looked at her for a second and then smiled lightly, "well at least you made it," and he left the room.

Juliet stood up, using the wall for balance, and walked to the bathroom. It was a rather large and expensively decorated room; the Granite countertop connected to the newly polished white tile walls, holding two sinks. The mirror reflected with spotless perfection, showing the shower in the background; which was entrapped by beautifully designed granite walls.

Juliet gawked at the space for a minute before stepping to the sink. She looked at the mirror and the image before her shocked her. Blood had dried in her hair and on her clothes. Her skin was tinted pink where she had received scratches and bruises. Bandages covered her Right shoulder, left wrist, and her forehead.

Fresh blood still oozed from the wounds, seeping through the gauze and her shirt. Bruises splotched over her arms and neck; the whole image made Juliet sick. The woman in the mirror was not in good condition.

Juliet stared at her reflection; breath hitched, pulse racing. What happened to her? She reached up and ran her trembling fingers over the scratches and bruises on her face. The dried blood crusted under her touch, revealing a more precise image of the damage on her cheeks. What happened to her?

A knock came from the door, bringing Juliet to jump. Her already fast pulse quickened as she looked at the source of the sound.

"You okay in there?" marc asked, sounding genuinely nonchalant. Juliet sighed in relief; Marc's voice calmed her for some reason.

Marc knocked again and Juliet went to the door, pulling it open, "I'm fine. Just about to shower."

"Okay," he nodded, "well we're all getting ready for dinner. I'll save you a seat."

Juliet nodded and closed the door, moving back to the mirror. She took one last look at herself, and then turned the shower on. The water ran through her clotted hair and down her back, sending chills through her spine. She kept her eyes closed the whole time, refusing to see the red-tinted liquid escape into the drain.

As she closed her eyes, images immediately flashed inside her head. Fire. Sickness. Fear. Friends. Dead. Undead.

She quickly opened her eyes, breathing quickly. What kind of sick things had she

Seen? Juliet composed herself and finished her shower. She stepped out, changed into the new clothes, and looked into the mirror. Her wet hair clung to her neck, darkened brown. The clothes were well-fitting to her body, but loose and comfortable. The shirt was a light blue color, matching with her navy blue jeans. They brought out her eyes. Her wide, scared, tired blue eyes.

The air was cool outside of her room. It was brighter in the hall. Juliet squinted as light temporary blinded her. She stepped outside and looked around. Her room was one of many in the hallway. There were at least fourteen others, one across from another, in this narrow passage. Each door was different from the other; they all were painted or decorated with lights and pictures that Juliet guessed matched to whoever had that room. All of them were prettied up; all besides her own. That didn't matter at the moment, though; what mattered was where the dining room was. The only direction she could turn was right, so she walked down the hallway, coming to another single turn; this time to the left. Juliet took the turn, and walked only a few strides until she came to a large open space. The walls in here, as they were everywhere else, were a silver-gray color. The floors were granite white with black specks; it reminded Juliet of pepper on a white plate.

In the middle of the room was a large oak dining table, about the length and width of a limousine. Sitting on top of the table were a dozen plates and cups, accompanied by a dozen sets of silverware. Large bowls and plates of food were resting in the middle all along the table. What Juliet saw were bowls of corn, beans, and a variety of potato chips. On the plate was a fat turkey, seemingly cooked to juicy perfection. The baked bird had Juliet's stomach growling with agitated hunger.

All in all-just like her bathroom- the beauty mesmerized Juliet. She stared in awe for several minutes until she heard the familiar voice behind her.

"Hungry?" Marc asked as he walked up. Juliet remained silent for a minute.

"Where am I?" she asked, looking to the young adult next to her.

Marc crossed his arms and looked around, as if intrigued by the room, "You are in Bulwark. Our Haven beneath Hell."

Juliet, now fully curious, turned to the man, "could you elaborate?"

"Over dinner," marc said with a smile, walking to the table. Juliet was quick to follow and Marc spoke again. "Here you'll meet the gang. They're our friends, our confidants; our family."

As Marc talked, eleven people came out; all varying in ages. They all sat at the table, taking up all but two seats, which Juliet and Marc filled. Marc looked at the group,

"A week ago we witnessed what no one should ever have witnessed. We've experienced a disaster we could only imagine; a disaster only seen in movies...we've seen people die in every direction we turned; we've seen them rise and kill. They grew from groups of two or three to mobs of hundreds at a time. They attacked with the strength of a tsunami...but we fought against them. We fought and we survived."

This encouraged a few nods and a light applause from the group

Marc grinned at this agreement and gestured to Juliet, "Tonight we were visited by Juliet. She was hurt, scared, and alone. We took her in, no matter the risk of infection, and we addressed her wounds. Now she's dining with us for the first time, and that calls for a welcoming."

Marc lifted his cup, which had recently been filled with wine, "we welcome her to our family."

Some cheers broke out, followed by the lifting of eleven other cups. Everyone had their eyes on Juliet; greeting her, assuring her safety, showing her love.

Juliet could only smile at this gesture and mimic their action. Everyone immediately sipped their wine and began setting food onto their plates. Marc chuckled and drank his wine; he set it down and looked at Juliet, "now you get to meet everyone."

Juliet listened as marc talked, introducing each person at the table.

Sitting to her right was a Boy of eighteen. He went by Rem, a nickname his family had given him. His black hair hung in a straight mop around his head, falling just over his eyes. Rem was responsible for the artwork around the building. Next to Rem sat Lucy, his thirteen-year-old sister. Her jet black hair hung low, just past her shoulders, in a wave. She helped with the art, but most of her time was spent reading. Rem was extremely protective of Lucy, and was a big part of her life.

Behind Lucy was Brandon, about mid-forties; he and Melissa-the girl beside him- were in charge of Bulwark. They focused on the stock and supply. Brandon had a noticeable tan, with light brown hair. Melissa was blond, with hair cut to her jaw line. By their linked hands and golden rings, it was a given that they were married. They both smiled at Juliet when Marc introduced them.

The next three were triplets, all sixteen and identical. They were brunette, hazel-eyed, and two of the three preferred to share identities. Two girls had long hair down to their upper back; whereas the third sister had shoulder-length hair, up in a ponytail. The two matching sisters were Anna and Hanna The third sister was Shana, and by the looks of her relationship with her sisters, she enjoyed being thought of as separate from them. The three enjoyed learning how to cook from Brandon and Melissa. They made the Dinner on the table.

Erik sat next to the triplets. He fancied weapons, just as his friend, Tad, did. Both boys of twenty were experienced with guns, worked in a weapon store, and fortunately brought Guns, knives, and plenty of ammo for defense.

This brought Marc to introduce the last adult, and her son. Elizabeth, at her early thirties, was the woman in charge security; she was responsible for the cameras hidden around the building, the alarm system and triggers, and the two trap-doors that would be used in case of an emergency hideout. Her son, who recently turned six, shared her blond hair and pale skin. His name was Benjamin, and he was the world to Elizabeth.

Everyone waved once introduced, and Marc looked at Juliet. "That's the gang."

Juliet looked at en empty chair to her left and Marc nodded solemnly, "we had one more, but he was lost."

"Lost?" she looked at Marc, who was biting his cheek. He only nodded, but that's all Juliet needed to know what he meant. Her thoughts flashed back to the images swirling around her hear in the shower. A shiver shot down her back and she shook her head, looking over to the empty seat. She looked up to everyone at the table. Nobody looked in the direction of the chair; suddenly the ceiling and floors were the most interesting things in the world.

Juliet cleared her throat quietly and lifted her cup, "then to him."

A moment went by before, reluctantly, everyone joined her. Wine was sipped and food continued to move around the table. Not one word more was said the whole meal.


	2. Chapter 2

_[Flashback]_

It started as a normal day. Juliet went to work, listened to her partner, and allowed herself to be entertained by her two favorite non-detective detectives.

She walked inside the department, immediately accompanied by Shawn and Gus.

Shawn smiled at her, "Hey Jules. Gus and I got smoothies; I so happened to order two for me and I just can't drink another one."

Gus rolled his eyes and Juliet shook her head with a laugh, "I can't, I'm way too busy right now." she went to her desk and sat down.

Papers splayed all over the surface, each one having something in common. There were six cases where someone got sick. Anyone would ask what that had to do with the police; and Juliet and Carlton would explain that those people got the same virus within a 24 hour time Frame, and died within nearly 72 hours on the dot.

The cops believed it was intentional; a virus purposefully let loose as an experiment for a new cure. Juliet was sitting there trying to tie them together with more than the deaths in relation. She sighed and put her hand to her temple as she thought.

Shawn and Gus went up to the desk, only to be broken apart by Lassiter. He dropped a folder in front of Juliet, who glanced up to him curiously.

"Four more; in the hospital this morning and dead by lunch." he said

Gus and Shawn wore an expression of surprise; Gus more serious, Shawn more curious and ready to run off and fight this mysterious enemy. Juliet looked through the file, reading every known detail. The four new victims had the same exact symptoms as the first six.

First they showed nearly invisible signs of illness; slight temperature, paler skin, fatigue. Then they showed more noticeable symptoms; forgetfulness, confusion, and nosebleeds - sometimes even slight bleeding from the eyes.

Finally, they hit the last stage; violent mood swings, nausea, and then their pulse races, they break into a sweat, they shake, hallucinate, and finally their heart stops. All of that happened in three days; the newest cases happened in less than 24 hours.

"This is getting bad." Juliet said, standing up from her desk. Her movement broke Shawn from a daze and he looked at the detective.

"I'm getting a feeling that this isn't planned out very well." He said

Juliet gave him a knowing look, "I don't think so, either."

She stepped around the desk to join Lassiter to their case when Shawn grabbed her arm, "I think this is more than a little case anymore, Jules. Whoever started this thing...I don't think they know how to stop it. Either that, or they're willing to kill the whole city to make a vaccine."

Juliet looked at Lassiter, who appeared to agree with Shawn. In the background,

Gus was nodding confidently. The blond detective sighed and looked at Shawn, "So we tell the chief?"

Shawn took a breath to speak, but instantly froze; his stare distant and knowing. He stood there for thirty seconds before looking at Juliet, "You had a call about the possible suspect for this, right?"

"Yeah," Lassiter spoke, "but he's not the guy. We went to his house and he had an alibi."

"Which was...?" Shawn questioned

"He was out of town for three weeks, right around the time frame of this case." Juliet answered. Shawn fell silent for another full minute before speaking again.

"So that means he couldn't have spread the virus himself. Not here."

Juliet gave him a curious, yet knowing look, "so he had someone else do it?"

"In Santa Barbara."

The four exchanged looks, and Gus spoke up, "are you implying he could have transferred the virus with him to wherever he went?"

Now Shawn's expression was serious, "not just to that city, but to the airports."

Juliet held her hand up to stop the conversation, "before we make assumptions, we need proof."

Lassiter nodded in agreement and went to the chief's office. Juliet followed him, leaving Shawn and Gus behind. Chief looked both surprised and nervous as

Lassiter spoke.

"Spencer thinks Jerry was in on this case. He believes this guy brought the virus through the airport and to Atlanta Georgia." Lassiter said seriously.

There was no time to hate Shawn; if Shawn was right, then there was a much bigger problem than they anticipated.

Chief gave a look of genuine concern as she stood up, "If this is true, then this case is no longer a case for the city; rather the president. Atlanta is one of the biggest and busiest airports in the country. If anyone caught that virus, it can be spread throughout the united states, let alone the world."

Juliet and Lassiter looked at each other, both becoming much less comfortable with this situation. In a matter of minutes, a case for one city turned to a possible world crisis. Chief walked out of her room and to Shawn and Gus. Her face said she wasn't in the mood for their childish acts. Shawn and Gus quickly picked up on that as she spoke.

"Are you serious about this, Mr. Spencer?" she asked.

Shawn nodded, "I'm getting strong vibes about this; and they're getting stronger every minute."

Her face contorted into an uncomfortable expression of worry, "I believe we might have a problem."

Shawn looked behind the chief to Juliet and Lassiter. They had exited her office and were coming up to the group. Shawn looked back to the chief, who pursed her lips. What would they do now; what could they do? There was nothing they COULD do anymore- if the virus was let out three weeks ago in an airport, who knows where it could have traveled. It seemed the only way this could go from here was downhill, very quickly.

Chief broke the silence, "It's not a city case anymore. This is now the government's case." And with that, she spun around and nearly sprinted to her office. Juliet and Lassiter filled her spot in front of Shawn and Gus. They all knew there wasn't anything they could do, and they all knew the chief would dismiss them to their homes; so they departed; Shawn and Gus to the Blueberry; Lassiter to his desk; and Juliet to her car.

Yes, Juliet still had work to do on other cases, but she simply couldn't focus.

She never expected something like this to happen. She never thought about an infectious outbreak actually happening. That stuff only existed in movies. Viral outbreaks putting an end to the world. It was fiction. Although...it was very possible; it was very possible for a new infection to come about, and humans wouldn't be ready for it. They wouldn't have built up any immunity to it, just like the plague. The only difference would be a much quicker death rate; the virus could spread so fast that nobody had time to quarantine. No one would stand a chance.

A shiver ran down Juliet's spine as she drove out of the police station. She tried not thinking about it, but the fear of what could happen kept coming to her mind. She became distracted, so much that she couldn't drive. Juliet parked back in the parking lot and sat in her car for a few minutes. After a while of debating, she decided to walk to the Psych office. It was much more comforting being with Shawn and Gus rather than being in her apartment alone.

It was settled. Juliet got out of her car and headed to the office. Her mind still wandered to the virus, but she wasn't risking getting in a wreck. The day was beautiful. The sun was shining, the breeze was minimal. There were clouds forming, so she knew a storm was coming, but the warm air helped Santa Barbara welcome rain. Juliet felt it ironic that it was such a nice day, and yet it was possibly one of the last days.

As she walked, she began to notice something. She would look at someone across the street and see them sneezing. Someone sitting on a bench was pale and shaky.

A married couple would be broken apart from their embrace when one of the two had a coughing fit.

All around her she saw illness. She saw symptoms in every direction she turned. An old man, a couple, a homeless man, a mother and her child. Everyone looked sick. Everyone looked pale, tired, and confused. The longer she walked, the worse they looked. From a cold to a flu, to an infection, to an outbreak. She began to shake, herself, but not from a fever. She grew scared- no, terrified.

Never before had Juliet been too frightened, but seeing everyone look so sick, she was losing her mind.

As she approached the office building, a man blocked her path. He stared at her with blank eyes, eerily fogged out. His skin was pale with purple and green spots just barely tinting the surface of his face. Dried blood leaked from his nose and down his mouth; blood veins in his eyes had ruptured, filling the edges and corners of his white eyes with red. The crimson liquid was forming in the corners of his eyes. He looked at Juliet for a second before reaching out a shaky hand and taking hold of her shirt. He pulled her in closer, and she watched as a drop of blood trickled from his eye, down his cheek. Juliet instantly pulled away, but the grip of the man was so strong, she couldn't break loose. He opened his mouth to show blood coated teeth, and breathed in a raspy breath as he leaned toward Juliet. She leaned away, pushing the man in the opposite direction. He fought back, moving his jaw in the motions of chewing food. Juliet gave him a shove and he let go. Juliet pulled away, finally free from his grip. He stepped back, seeming confused, but quickly recovered and focused on Juliet, who was now past him, walking to the Psych office.

Juliet didn't hesitate to speed up, now going from a walk to a jog. She got to the door and knocked quickly, praying for an answer. A faint grunt brought her to look toward the man, who was now turning to face her. Panic shot through her and she turned to the office. Juliet slammed her fist against the door, "Shawn.

Shawn please be inside." she knocked again.

Juliet heard the slow steps of the stranger, gradually increasing in speed and volume. She was too frightened to look back to him, but instead knocked again, more desperately. Before she could beg again, the door opened, revealing Shawn.

Shawn smiled at her, which quickly faded when he got a look at her. Juliet was pale as a ghost; her bright blue eyes wide as plates. Her green blouse was wrinkled and stained with dark crimson. Juliet glanced to her left, and Shawn stepped aside for her; she quickly accepted the invitation. As she nearly ran inside, she turned and pushed the door shut, securing the locks.

"Jules, what happened?" he asked, watching Juliet as she shut the blinds and leaned into him.

She let out a shaky breath, "I don't want to talk about it right now...but don't go outside."


	3. Chapter 3

Juliet walked out to the dining room, looking around and admiring the paintings on each wall. Rem was adding life to the dreary home of Bulwark, and every day more drawings were up. Juliet was fascinated in Rem's creativity. She saw paintings of things she never thought to imagine.

The wall was covered in scenes. There were gruesome images of a soldier carrying a wounded teammate from a battle; a picture of two kids holding hands, one of a little boy giving his mother a flower. Along with the scenes, the walls were designed with swirls of color and splotches of paint; all of it looked like a professional collage. Juliet was impressed.

She wandered around the open space for a minute, and then turned down an unfamiliar hall. It's going to be her home, why not explore? As she walked, Juliet noticed the paintings fade away and the lights start to dim. She pondered it for a moment, but quickly lost focus of that thought when she came to a large room. The place was nearly pitch-black, the only real light coming from the hallway behind her. As far as Juliet saw, besides a large Supply of tables and chairs, the space was vacant; no drawings, no lights, no people. Once she realized there was nothing to look at, she turned to leave; but a faint glow stopped her in her tracks. Juliet turned back to the source of the distraction and found a small window in a metal door. A light was on behind the glass, around a corner of what looked like another hall. Its dim gray color shone into the room; showing Juliet the contents of the isolated space.

Inside were several people; standing in their spots, shuffling a foot or two at a time, looking down at their feet or at a wall with a blank expression. But they were not people. Their skin was pale and bloody; their eyes were fogged; parts of their bodies were torn up or missing, varying in extremity with each being. Blood leaked from their eyes and mouths and noses in a dry stream. Their hair was tangled and covered in dirt and blood, either hanging from their heads in a matted mess or clinging to their necks in a dried clump of dirt. Each being wandered aimlessly around the small room, unaware of anything going on around them. Juliet could do nothing but stare in terrified fascination.

One female walked into view of Juliet, stopping mid shuffle. She turned her head toward the detective and stared at her with dead eyes. Both watched each other for a minute, and then the woman's blank expression turned to one of ferocity.

She curled her lips back, showing red-coated teeth, and moved to the door in such speed it shocked Juliet. The woman slammed into the door, clawing at the metal and window, attracting the attention of every other being in the room. In a matter of seconds, the sealed exit was surrounded by a swarm of lost lives. They all scratched and hit the door, snarling and groaning. Juliet could actually hear their hungry moans. And she couldn't move. She could only stand in frozen terror and watch as the creatures attempted to have her as dinner.

Juliet was so intently focused on the beings, that she hardly noticed the figure next to her. She felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped back, unable to suppress a shriek. Erik stood by her with a grave expression, and glanced to the sealed door.

"Let's go, before they attract more attention." he said, heading down the lit hallway.

Juliet followed, not once looking back, "I thought we were safe from them down here."

"We are," Erik assured, "That door is sealed tight, and the window is double paned with bullet proof glass. It's too small and high for any of 'em to fit through anyway."

"Why are they down here?"

Erik was silent for a minute as they entered the dining room. He turned around to face Juliet when they were far away from the hall, "There were dozens more that made it down here. But they were all infected by then. We couldn't let them down here and spread the virus. They wouldn't leave, though; they wanted to be safe from what was outside. They raced down here, pushing and kicking and dragging others behind them, but we couldn't let them in. So we locked the first door, which was to the second hall in the room. We left, but Ben stayed."

"Ben is the one that wasn't at dinner?"

Erik nodded, "he watched them through the window; watched them die. He wanted to make sure none of them broke the door down or something- he was paranoid like that. So we let him guard the room, and we shut the other door. Before we got to the hallway, we heard him scream. Tad and I were the first to open the door, since we were closer to him than the others..." Erik paused as he recalled the event, "We saw the sick people tearing into him, ripping him apart and eating his insides. Ben kept screaming and spazzing until his eyes rolled back and he went limp..."

Juliet put her hand to her mouth in shock of the story. She breathed in a small gasp, "That's horrible, I'm so sorry."

Erik nodded solemnly, "before we knew it those beasts were up and sprinting toward us. So we slammed the door shut and sealed it tight. There's no way those guys will get through. No way in; no way out."

He looked at Juliet, his green eyes fierce, "someday I'm gonna go out there and kill those lifeless demons." Juliet would have waved the comment off as venting his anger, but the look in his eyes made her consider the chance that he was serious.

They stared at each other for several seconds, and then Erik looked at the walls around him, "Tad and I knew Ben for five years. He was a real pain in the neck sometimes, but, man, there aren't enough words in the world to describe what a good friend he was."

He smiled, "he was one of those rare people that stick with you no matter what, till death..." he shook his head and smiled more, "maybe even after that." then

Erik looked at Juliet, "What's your story?"

"What?"

Erik shrugged, "We find you at our other door, a wreck; we take you in; and we don't know anything more than your name. You have to have a history."

Juliet thought silently for a minute, and Erik crossed his arms, "you have a boyfriend?"

This brought Juliet to grow tense. She looked at Erik, and then to her hands,

"No. I don't."

Erik nodded silently, but continued as if he hadn't heard her, "D'you see him before this happened?"

Juliet looked at him, somewhat surprised that he guessed she did have a boyfriend, "Yes."

"Did he get sick?"

She shook her head, "He wasn't sick...I don't know what happened. He left."

"So you don't know if he's alive or not."

"Well," Juliet shrugged, genuinely doubtful, "sure...it's unlikely, though."

Erik's only response to this was a smile, "I wouldn't doubt so quickly. In this world, we need all the hope we can get."

Juliet gave a half-smile and watched as Erik left to his room. She frowned at his words...if only it were that easy.


	4. Chapter 4

_[Flashback]_

Juliet paced around the living room of Henry's house, unable to stand still for longer than three seconds. Henry was equally freaked out, but sat still as Shawn and Juliet fidgeted. They had left the psych office to go to Henry's house, because Henry had a basement; and Shawn wanted to know he was okay. The trip over to his house was one of sheer luck.

When Shawn, Gus, and Juliet left the office to go to the Blueberry, there were several more of the "sick" people walking around. They all charged toward the trio when they sprinted to the car. Gus was quick to unlock the doors and get in; and Juliet was able to sit down in the back; but one of the sick got a hold of Shawn's shirt collar, pulling him away from the car. He struggled against the grip of the stranger, twisting to face her. She was chomping at the air, leaning in to Shawn's face. Immediately he shoved her back, hitting her hard in the chest. She coughed blood, spraying Shawn with the red liquid. He took the opportunity of freedom and climbed into the back seat.

He sat in a silent daze for a couple seconds and then wiped his face off with his sleeves. Juliet looked at him, "are you okay?"

Shawn nodded and looked at Juliet with a smirk, "Never better."

Juliet hesitated, but took him for his word. She looked out the window as Gus drove onto the main road. All around people were dying or already dead. It was a terrifying scene; what was a beautiful day only a few hours ago was now a bloodbath between living and dead. How could everything go from good to Hell in only a day?

Juliet sighed and turned to look at Shawn, who was watching out the other window, holding a fist to his mouth. His face was still tinted pink where the blood hit him, but it was mostly noticeable because his skin was white as snow.

A shot of panic spread through Juliet; what if Shawn got infected? They didn't know how the virus was spread exactly; Shawn could have received the illness from the interaction with the woman. Juliet made a vow to herself: keep an eye on Shawn, make sure he's safe.

She turned her head to her window just in time to see a car drive toward theirs at full speed. Suddenly the clear window view was contorted into a sickening blur as the Echo spun and skidded off road and into a tree. Smoke vented from the engine with a hiss of defeat, rising into the sky in a dark cloud of ashy-gray.

Several minutes of silence passed. A pained groan jerked Juliet into consciousness. She blinked awake and looked around in a fog. A quiet moan directed Juliet to look to her right, at Shawn. He was holding his hands to his left knee, covering a small crimson stain. Juliet instantly went over to him, carefully moving his hands from his leg. The blue jeans were soaked with dark red, surrounding a metal shard. The sliver was deeply imbedded into Shawn's leg, just above his knee cap.

Juliet looked at Shawn, who was staring intently at his wound.

"I'm gonna try to get this out, okay," Juliet asked, attempting to keep Shawn calm with her tone. It didn't help much, and Shawn quickly looked at her.

"I'm fine, Jules. I'm fine, it's just a scratch."

"You need to get it out. Hold on to something, and try not to squirm."

"Jules," Shawn said, his tone now like a scared child, "Let's get to Dad's first. Somewhere safe."

Juliet scrutinized him, seeing the fear in his eyes. She wasn't sure if it was fear of the infected, or of the pain of his injury. Still, she nodded and climbed out of the car, wincing when a sharp pain ran through her side at each movement. She looked around to assure they were alone and take in the damage.

Thirty feet away sat the other car. Smoke escaped the hood, but there seemed little destruction to the vehicle. The Blueberry, on the other hand, was demolished. The left side was bent in and crushed; the front was a crumpled mess; windows were broken and scraps of metal and glass covered the ground around the vehicle. Juliet forced her focus to Shawn, and made her way to his side. She gripped the handle; took a breath; and jerked the door open, helping Shawn to his feet. He watched as Juliet went around to the left side, and followed.

On the left side, Juliet went to the driver's seat. She noticed Gus had not made a sound, and a terrifying thought arose. As she approached, she got a clear image of her friend. Gus lay against the wheel, facing the window. A large gash on his head glistened red with fresh blood. Juliet saw the door had been crushed inward, impaling Gus in the side; His eyes were closed, saving Juliet and Shawn from seeing his pain.

Shawn had come up behind Juliet, staring at Gus in disbelief. He looked at his friend, fear flooding his hazel eyes.

"Gus..." He stepped closer to the door, "buddy wake up, we have to go to Dads.

We're almost there, come on."

Juliet stood silently for a few minutes, allowing Shawn to take everything in, and then wrapped her hand around his, "Shawn..."

Shawn's grip tightened and he looked at Juliet, "We should go; dad's house is only a couple blocks away. It seems safe now, but I doubt it'll get any better."

Juliet nodded and walked to the house. Fortunately the roads were clear up until the house. The last thing they needed was a horde of the sick attacking. They made it to the front porch, knocked, and both froze.

What if he was infected? What if they went through all of that for nothing?

Shawn and Juliet exchanged nervous looks and focused on the door. The knob turned and a crack formed at the doorway, allowing enough space for Henry's head to pop out. He took a look at the duo and their messy clothes and faces, and opened the door wide. Juliet hesitated and glanced down to Shawn's legs. Henry's glare followed hers and immediately he was helping them inside. Shawn gritted his teeth, silently suffering as they moved to the couch. Juliet turned and shut the door, locking it tight.

"Mind telling me what happened to you?" henry asked, moving to the kitchen and grabbing a first-aid kit from the cupboard.

Juliet sat by Shawn, "A car hit us on the way here."

"What were you doing driving outside anyway?" Henry responded angrily.

"To check on you," Shawn said lightly, "and you practically predicted the end of the world and packed a lifetime of food and water in the basement."

Henry scoffed, giving Shawn a wet kitchen towel, "I don't need to be checked up on, I'm fine. Apparently the only ones anyone should worry about are you two." he said irately as he kneeled by Shawn's leg. He took out a multitude of gauze and bandages and alcohol-based antibiotics, then glanced to his son with a look of worry, yet showing a mischievous glint in his eyes, "you might want to bite down on that rag."

Before Shawn could even lift the cloth to his mouth, Henry gripped the metal shard and jerked with all his might. The house was immediately filled with Shawn's pained yell. Juliet, now panicked about their safety being jeopardized, took the cloth and held it to Shawn's mouth, muting the scream.

She tried soothing him into a quieter state, which eventually happened; and

Shawn sat slumped on the couch with his eyes shut tight and his jaw clenched.

Henry stood up with the shard in his hands and a smirk on his face,

"It's over, grow up."

The comment brought Shawn to open his eyes and glare at his father. Henry ignored the hateful look and went to the kitchen with a shake of his head.

Juliet moved the rag from Shawn's mouth and looked at his leg; a white bandage was wrapped around his knee, already soaking with blood. It was obvious they would need to replace it quite often.

Shawn moved his stare from his father to Juliet, and smiled pretty pathetically.

"You're going to pretend that didn't happen, so I can still have my manhood."

Juliet smiled back, "I didn't see a thing."

Henry came back out and stood by the coffee table, looking down at the duo with crossed arms. He waited for a minute before speaking, "So where's Gus?"

Shawn and Juliet looked up at him, both reluctant to speak. Henry raised an eyebrow, focusing his attention specifically on Shawn. The younger Spencer cleared his throat, "he, uh, was driving the car. And he got hit..."

Henry's arms dropped to his side, and he wore an expression of sincere sorrow,

"I'm sorry, Shawn."

Shawn hardly acknowledged the apology; usually he would make a remark about

Henry actually having feeling, but today he didn't care. He squirmed into a comfortable position and looked up at the ceiling.

Two days passed. They moved down to the basement and rested. Well, Shawn rested.

Once they stopped moving downstairs and he lay on the couch, he gave in to exhaustion and slept; almost for the whole two days. Henry tried urging Juliet to sleep, but she couldn't get herself to close her eyes for longer than a minute. When she wasn't having images of the day replay in her head, she was kept awake by fear for Shawn. He was asleep the whole time, so they couldn't get a full observation on him. For the most part he looked well; no nosebleeds or spontaneous bruising, but his face was pale as a ghost, and now and then he would cough.

Juliet kept a close eye on him, though. She constantly felt his forehead, and made sure to wake him for water - especially when he began to Cough or squirm.

Henry said he was fine. He said if Shawn was sick, he would have been dead, undead, and trying to eat them. His words only made Juliet grimace; she didn't want to imagine Shawn doing that.

Although it seemed he could care less, Henry really was worried for his son. Not in case of the virus, but in case he got blood poisoning from the metal. Shawn looked decent, aside from the pale skin, but he always appeared better than he was. When Shawn was a kid, it took a week before they realized he had strep throat. By then, he had passed it on to most kids at school and already began to get better.

Still, Henry kept a close eye on him, just as Juliet was. He had to give the detective credit; she genuinely cared for Shawn. She was good for him; Henry was glad he had Juliet to keep an eye on Shawn when he couldn't. He watched as

Juliet sat by his son, calmly waking him; holding a bottle of water in her hands.

Shawn blinked at Juliet, looking uncomfortably confused. He wore an expression that said he was thinking; and thinking hard.

"How long have we been down here?" he asked, moving to sit upright on the couch.

Juliet looked at Henry, who thought back to earlier; when he went upstairs to check the time.

"The clock said four AM, and that's the second time we went into the morning,"

Henry said, "So about two days. Give or take a couple hours."

Shawn yawned and stretched his arms out, giving a half chuckle. He spun on the seat and let his feet touch the floor. "I've been asleep for two days? Wow."

"It's good. You needed the rest." Juliet assured.

Shawn slowly stood up, slightly wincing. Juliet stood up to help him, but he held his hands up to stop her. "I'm good. Honestly, I hardly feel it." and he was telling the truth. Actually, he may have been telling too much of the truth.

He didn't feel any pain...nor did he feel much of his leg from the knee down to his foot. Maybe it's asleep, he thought. But as he stood still, waiting for the feeling to return, none came. He wiggled his toes, thinking it would help blood flow. Still, it was almost completely numb. A shot of panic ran through him; what if he hit a nerve?

Shawn looked down to his leg and rolled his ankle. It moved perfectly; yet it felt like his whole leg was frozen stiff. This wasn't good...well; at least he wasn't in pain. That was a positive. But, he couldn't feel his leg. That could be a significant negative. Shawn mentally weighed the pros and cons of having a numb leg. The pain will be extremely dull. But, he would have trouble knowing how hurt he is exactly. At least he can still move his leg; it's not like he lost his mobility, just most of his feeling. Yet, he'd still have trouble telling where his leg is in the case of walking; no doubt he'd be tripping and limping a lot.

Shawn pursed his lips, leaning towards the idea that this was bad. But, his initial decision was that he had no way to fix it, so oh well.

Obviously Shawn didn't go unnoticed, and Henry spoke up, bringing him from his daze.

"You alright, kid?"

Shawn looked up to his father, "oh just peachy." actually, when he thought about it, he was better than peachy. He wasn't in any pain, he was well rested, and he was still alive. A smile crawled across his face, "I can't feel my leg, though."

Both adults became worried, although Henry didn't show it. Juliet, on the other hand, didn't hesitate to express her concern.

"What do you mean?"

Shawn lightly hit his shin, "I hardly feel it. The metal must've hit some nerves."

"Sit down," Juliet put her hands on Shawn's Chest. He would have stayed on his feet, but he lost his balance and fell on to the cushion. He would have objected, but suddenly a sound came from upstairs. The two Spencers looked up, listening closely. It sounded like footsteps; starting from the front door, moving to the living room. Then it broke into three sets of footsteps, one moving to the kitchen, and one to the stairs; the third toward the family room, where the basement entrance was. Shawn and Henry exchanged looks; both knowing each other's thoughts: Scavengers.

Shawn stood up again, this time moving past Juliet to the stairs. He hesitated, but climbed the steps; moving one by one, holding on to the rail. Henry and

Juliet followed, silently pleading for him to stop. Shawn ignored them and opened the door, just a little bit for him to get a peek around the room.

It was empty, and it appeared that nobody was looting the place. Shawn pushed the door open a little, enough to see a man around thirty, walking ever so carefully; he held an M14, although he obviously wasn't comfortable with the thought of using it. Shawn pushed the door more and took a step out, but stopped when the door creaked. The man spun around to face Shawn, his weapon pointed directly at the Psychics head. Shawn immediately held his hands above his head.

"Whoa, whoa, we're good. We're good, this is our house." Shawn said, forcing a calm tone. Although it wasn't hard; he and Gus had been at gunpoint several times before. He instinctively glanced to his side; thinking he would see his friend right beside him, looking furious that Shawn had talked him into another stupid case. The space next to him was empty. Shawn frowned slightly and looked back to the soldier.

The armed man kept his gun held high, quivering in the terrified man's grip.

Shawn grew nervous. He smiled a little, "relax the trigger fingers, man. You came to find survivors, right? You kill me; you'll be going against orders."

Another soldier walked in, having heard Shawn's voice, "Conners, drop the gun."

The younger man reluctantly obeyed, finally seeming to get a grip on reality. He looked at the higher ranked soldier, who was eyeing Shawn.

"Is it just you?" the older soldier asked. Shawn shook his head, stepping aside

-Limping at the numbness in his leg - and showing Juliet and Henry.

The two stepped out; Juliet went to Shawn, and Henry went closer to the men.

"You're saying this is a rescue mission?"

"Sir," Conners said, "The base was attacked. We managed to get out, along with a few others who are searching the neighboring houses. But that's all. We're getting people to safety-"

"Where would that be?"

"Well, sir, the Los Angeles Air-force Base is well protected. We were gonna walk there and get as many people as we can to safety"

Shawn made a face, "that's like, a day away by waking."

"A day and a half" Henry corrected.

"Give or take a few hours," Conners added. Shawn let out a laugh of disbelief.

"You're gonna walk for a day and half? No offense, man, but how confident are you that this base is actually okay?" Shawn asked

The older soldier answered for Conners, "we made radio contact yesterday with them. They said there weren't many of those things outside. Once we hit the base, we can easily get inside."

Henry crossed his arms, "What do you plan on doing after that? Sit in the camp till they eventually get inside?"

"There's word that there virus didn't spread to a specific island out near

Europe. It has no airports, and only one dock for boats, they have several helicopters at hand. They were gonna leave in a couple months to the island.

There, people can be safe until this blows over."

Juliet looked at the older soldier, "what if it doesn't blow over?"

"It will, eventually," said another young soldier, who was walking down the stairs. "Those guys are dead outside. They won't last forever. I predict in no longer than a year, it'll be over. By then, we can start over. Clean up the mess and live like it didn't happen."

Shawn, Henry, and Juliet stared at the newly arrived soldier. They didn't think about the fact that the infected would eventually decompose. Or die of hunger; once all the living was gone. That thought actually gave the three some hope. The world actually might not end.

Only a beat of silence played before the eldest soldier spoke.

"Conners, Landon, take these three outside and get ready to go. The others and I will check the last houses."

The two young men nodded and started leading them outside, but Henry stopped.

"I'd prefer to stay here."

"Dad," Shawn laughed once, "Don't be the old geezer in those drama movies that would rather die than leave his home."

Henry shot a glare toward his son, "I want to help out. I'm not gonna let these guys lead me around the city. If I'm gonna do anything, I'm gonna stay here and help out."

The younger Spencer looked at the soldier, who simply nodded, "We could use more gun-power."

"That's crazy," Shawn said, bewildered, "you'll have to take a break every time you turn the corner so he can rest. He's retired; you don't let an old man fight with you."

Henry grumbled at the comment, "a cop never loses his instincts."

"Yeah, but you fall and break a hip ten times easier."

"I can still fight. You take O'Hara to the base."

Shawn stared at his father for what seemed like hours, when finally he said, "You're a crazy old man, you know that?"

At this, Henry only rolled his eyes; but couldn't hide the smirk on his lips, "You're not much better, Kid."

Shawn shook his head and took Juliet's hand, allowing the two young men to lead them outside. The street was still empty. It surprised Juliet how there wasn't a single person outside. Not even a body. It was a little eerie when she thought about it.

The two young men kept their guns up as they walked through the streets.

Surprisingly there weren't many infected wandering the roads. When Shawn asked about it, Landon replied: "We pretty much cleared a path. Once those things were down and out of the way, they basically never come back. They don't travel like we normally do. They'll shuffle a few feet in one direction, and then veer around until they're heading the way they came. So technically, they don't move."

"Unless they spot lunch" Shawn muttered, receiving a nod from the two soldiers.

After that, nobody spoke. There was nothing to be said. And to be honest, nobody wanted to risk being heard by anything nearby.

It was dim outside; the sun had not yet risen. This being the case, the air was cool and the world was quiet. While the silence used to be a sign of a resting city, now it only emphasized the death that plagued the streets. Empty cars filled the streets; abandoned trash littered the road; half eaten bodies lay on the sidewalks. The group refused to look towards the bodies, keeping their stares forward. Unfortunately, as the moved forward, it was harder to avoid the look of death.

Having been looking down the whole time, Shawn and Juliet hadn't noticed that they approached the police department. Juliet looked up and, seeing where they were passing by, stopped. Shawn looked back to her and stopped as well, looking in through the windows. He stiffened slightly; it wouldn't have been noticeable to anyone untrained for observation. Juliet looked at him, "What's wrong?"

He hesitated, "someone's in there."

Now the two soldiers stopped and joined the duo. Conners shifted his gun in his arms, "If there's anyone in there we can save, we need to go in there."

"We can't leave these two out here." Landon argued, "And it's too dangerous for one guy."

Both soldiers pursed their lips and looked back and forth between the building and the couple. Shawn looked at the station, and Juliet could see his chest puff out; a subconscious thing he did when he was about to make a serious decision.

She panicked silently as he put on a determined expression.

"I'll go in," he said, "with Conners. You have an extra gun on you; I'll use that."

The boys looked at each other; and then Conners nodded to Shawn, handing him a pistol. Shawn looked at Juliet and pursed his lips into a thin line; her horror must have been pretty noticeable.

"Landon, keep going with Juliet. We'll catch up, it won't be long." Shawn said, his tone light; as if it were as simple a task as getting a smoothie.

Landon nodded and began to lead Juliet. She hesitated, watching and panicking as

Shawn went to the steps. Her mind shut down; she couldn't move to stop him, she couldn't find proper words to speak. Juliet struggled against the tidal wave of fearful thoughts, searching for one word to keep him from leaving. Finally she let out a dry sob, sounding more like a single-breath laugh, "Shawn!"

The Psychic stopped and turned to the detective. He gave her a half-smile, "I'll be fine, Jules. Don't wait up for me."

And he was gone


	5. Chapter 5

**[Thanks for the reviews, guys! Really, thanks. Sorry I haven't posted much. I;ve been going by the idea that, if I look on my profile and see a new review, I'll post another chapter. Also, if you review, I'll read and review a few of your stories! Good deal, eh?]**

She had been there one week, talking and learning about the twelve others. They shared their stories; their theories; their hopes and dreams. Juliet enjoyed listening to them; the more they talked, the longer she felt she had known them.

Rem and Lucy were at Lucy's school; he was picking her up when it happened to them. Rem drove up to her school and waited for his sister to come out like he always did. She hadn't shown up after ten minutes, and Rem, being the over protective big brother he was, got worried. He got out of his car and went inside, noticing a strange characteristic of the school.

"Usually the halls would usually be packed with kids leaving or talking," he told Juliet, "but that day, the place was almost empty. And whoever was walking around, was sick. They dragged their feet, slouched over, and coughed and grunted like old men...but they were kids. They were teenagers."

The students hardly acknowledged Rem, and that bothered him some. Usually everyone would at least glance toward him. Not this time; but that didn't bother him as much as what he saw when he turned the corner. The hall was full with students and teachers, like it was supposed to be; but they were sick. They looked and acted even worse than the previous kids. None of them coughed or grunted; rather they made no other noise but a raspy breath here and there.

Rem froze in his tracks, catching the eye of a nearby teenager. They stared at each other for a moment, and then the girl stepped toward him. She stepped again, and again; and soon she was walking; and then she was running; then the run broke into a sprint. Her expression was ferocious, as she bared her teeth and snarled like a furious, starved beast.

Her spontaneous actions caught the attention of several other students nearby, all of which copying her; and shocked Rem into a frozen, terrified, awe. He would have stood there until the kids reached him, but he heard his sister call him from his right.

"She was in the bathroom doorway, holding the door open with one hand, and holding a lighter and two sparklers in the other." Rem said

"I happened to run by the principal's office on the way to the bathroom," Lucy added, "He collected tons of pranks and toys and games and hid them in his desk.

I knew there were sparklers because a friend brought them to school the day before...I found out that the infected don't like the sparklers. Fire scares them, but sparklers stop them. At least hold them back."

Rem ran toward Lucy, pushing her into the bathroom on his way. He turned, pulled the door shut, and locked it. He was relieved that it had to be pulled from the outside; the infected didn't know how to pull doors open, and the walls were designed so it couldn't be pushed in. It was the safest bathroom they would have.

Rem looked behind him and saw Lucy climbing on the counter. She was going toward a small window near the ceiling, leading to the back of the school. Rem helped her out, and then quickly followed her through the window. The lot was suddenly filled with the infected. Rem and Lucy most definitely couldn't sneak away or run to the nearest car, spend ten minutes breaking in silently, and take another ten minutes trying to hot-wire it. They would be dead before they got the door open. The only way was to use Rem' car, but that meant finding a way around all of those people.

"We sat and thought for what felt like hours," Lucy stated, "I could feel more and more of their eyes staring at us. It was hard thinking when I could hear them start to run toward us."

"Thankfully, my sister had remembered the sparklers in her hand."

Rem took a sparkler and lit the lighter, waiting as the toy burst into a crackling spark. Immediately the two bolted to his car, swinging the sparkler toward any of the infected that got near them. They went to the driver side; Rem unlocked the door, with Lucy guarding him; and then he took the firework from his sister and let her climb inside. Rem tossed the crackling stick toward a nearby student and crawled inside, locking the doors and starting the car. He pressed the gas pedal to the floor; the air quickly filled with the smell of burning rubber as the Mustang shot forward.

"We heard about Bulwark before, so we decided to go there." Rem said, and then added when Juliet asked about their parents, "our parents died when Lucy was six and I was eleven. We lived with our aunt and uncle."

"We didn't like them. Personally I didn't care about them at the time." Lucy commented.

The two drove to the base, which was a large superstore called the "Bulwark Superstore." A pretty boring title, but they only needed a name that people would remember and be able to find easily. The whole building was stocked full of canned food, medical supplies, water, safety and wilderness gear; anything used for survival for a number of years. In the rear of the store, there was a small room, completely empty besides the elevator doors in the back. The elevators went down to the real Bulwark. The doors opened to a hallway, which led to the room where the infected were locked in when Juliet explored the building.

Rem and Lucy were some of the first people there. The other lucky ones either had a stronger feeling about the infection, or they knew something the public didn't. That brought up some questions in Juliet's head; who knew about the infection, and what was it that they knew?

Now, Juliet had more of a mission than to get to know people; she had to know what she could about what was going on.

"We heard it was a terrorist attack." said Tad, "But Ben had a different theory."

Tad, Ben, and Erik were in the Gun shop at the time; one of the most perfect spots to be for a situation like the infection. They saw people running past the window, followed by a snarling group of "junkies," as Tad had put them.

"I, myself, think it's those drugs." he said with a smirk, "you know, like a new drug that maybe had a weird effect on people. I thought those people were just going crazy. Now, I know whatever pills they were taking were doing more than making them mad."

Ben was the first to bring up the conversation. He asked what was going on, and

The three shared their ideas. Tad figured druggies. Erik had a wild suggestion about a flash mob.

"You know how many flash mobs there are in that part of town? It happens like once a month." Erik defended himself when Tad and Juliet gave him a look that said he was crazy. It was a bizarre idea, but Erik could have been right. So far as they knew. Although, his thought process stopped when Ben commented about the infection.

"Not only was he super paranoid," Tad scoffed, "but he had this obsession over the possibilities of a zombie apocalypse."

"Turns out he was right," Erik added solemnly

The three sat quietly as Tad and Erik remembered their friend. Tad broke the grave silence.

"After he gave us a list of reasons why it would be the apocalypse, we were in a pretty strong agreement."

Ben had a whole plan prepared for the event - were it to happen at any other time - memorized. So they followed his lead and did as he said. They each took all the weapons they could carry while still moving quickly. Their clothes had deep enough pockets for plenty of ammo for quick access; while the bags they carried held plenty more weapons and ammo.

Ben went out first, followed by Tad and then Erik. The trio moved quickly; not hesitating to shoot any angry-looking, bloody, blank-eyed person sprinting toward them. A destination had already been picked out, so they weren't running blind. Ben had heard of Bulwark and taken the liberty to research it and memorize every route towards the hideout. In that case, they had little trouble making their way through the city. Their only problems were their obstacles.

"Those things just kept coming," Erik said, "Thankfully it only takes a shot to take 'em down; just like it would for any normal person-not even. They were weaker than normal people." He organized his thoughts, "sure they're fast, but they're weak. A single shot will take 'em down. They may get back up, but that'd be long after you're gone."

Not only were there vicious people that they had to avoid, but also panicked people.

"When someone's freaking out like that," Said Tad, "they do more bad than they do good. Some people tried taking our guns; Ben almost got run over by a car.

People get crazy, man."

Ben led his friends to the facility; it was around that time when the building was full of terrified citizens. The trio managed to slip past everyone and make their way into the elevator. The lower floor was even worse than the top floor.

There was barely any moving room, but the boys continued to shove their way through. They got to the door; lifted their guns; and sprinted in the room once the door opened, quickly closing it behind them.

"There's not a whole lot to know about me," Said Marc, "I helped with Bulwark and moved in. Nothing much more to my story."

Juliet pursed her lips, "I'm sure you have something to say."

Marc only smirked, crossing his arms and looking around at the walls. "What, do you want me to start from the beginning?"

Juliet only gave a light shrug, and Marc breathed a laugh.

"I heard about the infection when the people started to flood in through the hall. I literally don't know a thing."

"What about your family? Don't you worry about them?"

"The only family I have is Bulwark. My parents died already, I'm an only child.

I don't talk to any other relatives." Marc sat silently for a minute, and then continued. "That's part of the reason I moved in here. Life is boring if you're alone."

Marc looked up to Juliet, wearing a smirk, "I know, it's sappy. Sounds like a

Cliché line from a drama..." he sighed and laid his head back against the wall he was leaning on. "But that's all I can tell you. But I do know that Elizabeth has some information."

Juliet straightened her back, "like what?"

"I dunno. She doesn't tell. She's all secretive about that."

Juliet pondered that for a moment, wondering what Elizabeth knew.

Marc shrugged, "you can try to ask her, but we've already done that. She says it's classified."

"Classified? How can anything be classified now?" Juliet questioned, looking down the hall behind Marc, as if Elizabeth were standing there. Marc only shrugged again; Juliet felt this talk was useless. Although she knew more about him, she didn't get much of anything, period.

When Juliet talked to Brandon and Melissa, she found they had little information on the outbreak.

"We were part of the original team of Bulwark." said Brandon, "We shared ideas with some other engineers, made the blueprints, constructed the buildings, and finished the details. We know every inch of this place...but that's all we knew."

Brandon and Melissa, along with the triplets - the children of fellow cobuilders

- Had organized and polished up Bulwark. They didn't know what was happening above ground; since it was so homey down below, they had practically moved in.

By the time they realized something was wrong, the halls were filling up with panicked, sick people. Only a few were able to get inside before it was too late. The small group of people that made it through was those whom Julie saw on a daily basis.

"That was the main entrance to this place." said Brandon, "now it's blocked..."

Juliet wore a confused expression, "where did you find me?"

Brandon and Melissa looked at each other and to Juliet. "The only area secure enough," Brandon said.

Melissa added to his answer when she saw Juliet's expression, "there was a sporting goods store only a block or two away from the warehouse. You must have made your way to the store."

"And somehow been able to break into the store, especially in your condition,"

Brandon noted. "We found you when marc went up to get some tools. He brought you down; we patched you up..."

Juliet looked down, observing the faint scraped on her palms and forearms.

Melissa broke the newly formed silence, "you looked like you were attacked. If you ask me, I think it's pretty impressive that you managed to stay as healthy as you are now. With all of the disease spreading around, in addition to tour injuries, it seemed impossible not to get sick...but here you are."

At this, Juliet smiled, "I've been told I have a strong immune system."

"You sure do," Brandon agreed, but changed topics, "if you want to talk to anyone about the virus specifically, talk to Elizabeth. She knows about it."

"I've been told that," Juliet nodded, "where is she?"

"Her room, probably," Melissa said.

Juliet nodded and stood up from the dining table they were sitting at, heading down the hall. Hopefully she'll get some answers now.


	6. Chapter 6

_[flashback]_

Landon and Juliet walked for about an hour, both quiet. Neither wanted to speak; they just wanted to get to safety. By the looks of where they were, plus the speed at which they've been walking, Juliet figured at least twenty more hours.

That would lead them into the next day, maybe longer - counting resting time.

She looked around; several more infected people shuffled around, all having no interest in the two. It seemed that there were dozens more at night than there were at day.

Juliet didn't feel comfortable walking at night, at all. She took a small step closer to Landon, feeling slightly more protected; as if the distance between them would make a difference between life and death. Landon glanced over to her, readjusting the M14 in his hands. He was terrified. He was scared out of his mind, but he couldn't let Juliet know that. She trusted him to keep her safe; how could he do that when he couldn't even hold the gun without shaking?

_Stay strong,_ he would think_, we'll run into Conners and the other guy again._

Although he thought that, he knew that they would have caught up by now.

Something happened. Something bad-

He shook his head; nothing happened. He couldn't think like that.

He closed his eyes for a split second, clearing his mind; and in the process, he stepped on a broken glass bottle.

The world stopped; the wind didn't blow, littered paper wasn't dragging along the road, and the quiet undead groans paused. Juliet looked at Landon; Landon looked at Juliet; and suddenly everything was moving; and moving quickly. Snarls and yells echoed through the streets, and what used to be a clear path to safety, was now a crowd of killers. Landon lifted his gun and pulled the trigger, hitting whatever he could. But it did no good for them. They were surrounded. Already surrounded; everywhere they looked they saw pale, blistered faces covered in pus and blood. Their teeth were coated with glimmering red, reflecting the shine of the moon perfectly. They grunted and moaned and screamed. Every direction Juliet and Landon turned, they saw their unwanted fate.

A process went through Landon's mind: shoot, shoot, shoot. Grab Juliet's arm once he cleared a path, and run. Book it down the street.

The soldier lifted his gun and pulled the trigger, firing all around him and the detective. The wall of the sick lessened, but more kept running up. He wasn't killing as fast as they were coming. Landon had to make a decision, and make it fast; he took his pistol, handed it to Juliet, and pushed her through the opening he made. She stumbled away from the crowd, shocked. Landon got on his toes to tell her to run, but they all lunged at once. He never got the chance.

Juliet heard him scream. She turned to the horde, frozen in terror. What just happened? Before she could answer her own question, the group turned to attack her.

"Run!" her legs told her, "Run, get out of there!"

Juliet spun on her heels and broke off in a sprint, speeding down the street.

She could hear them behind her; all screaming and growling. They were getting closer. She couldn't run as fast as them. How was that possible? She was healthy; trained to run fast. They were sick, broken, uncoordinated. How were they catching up to her so quickly? Suddenly she was on the ground, having tripped on her own two feet.

Juliet hissed at the pain in her hands, pushing against the ground to get up.

She hadn't gotten to her knees before something tackled her. The two rolled, landing with Juliet on her back; she was staring up at a furious sick, face of a woman. Blood dripped from her hungry grin, breaking into a red spot against Juliet's cheek. The woman's raspy breath hitched and stuttered, sounding eerily similar to a laugh. She opened her mouth wider and took a breath to attack, when another person shoved her out of the way. Juliet watched them fall and roll to her side, clawing and scratching at each other.

Juliet looked to her left, seeing another infected woman running toward her. She pushed against the road, getting to her feet, and sprinted in the opposite direction of the cannibals. Her hands burned, her legs stung, her heart raced, and her throat was closing. She couldn't breathe. The adrenalin was pulsing through her system too fast; her throat was dry. She needed to stop; she needed water. But she couldn't stop moving. She had to get out of there, away from them.

Juliet glanced behind her; only the one woman was following her, but she was right on her tail. Just as she turned her head she saw her lunge. A sharp pain went through her shoulder as she fell to the ground, skidding on the asphalt. Her body was held down by the weight of the woman, pushing up against the loose rocks on the ground. She could feel the nails of the infected in her shoulder, digging into her skin. Juliet winced, forcing her eyes open. If there was any way she would even get away from her attacker, she would need to be aware of her surroundings.

The woman had lost her balance, and was moving to get a bite. Juliet winced when she felt the pistol push against her back. Suddenly an idea sprouted in her head; she slid her hand under her back, gripped her fingers around the gun, swung the gun out in front of her, and pulled the trigger. The woman fell backwards against the asphalt, leaking a dark crimson onto the street. Juliet lay still, staring up at the sky. Her body hurt, her head spun, her thoughts were growing fuzzy. She could so easily close her eyes...she wanted to desperately...just take a minute to rest.

Her eyes slipped closed, and immediately her head and body felt heavy. _Yeah_, she thought drowsily, _a couple minutes sounds nice..._

A cold drop of water brought her to open her eyes. The sky was gray, and rain was falling down. Juliet groaned quietly, in both relief at the cold water, and in disgust at the wakeup call. But she needed to get somewhere safe. Juliet held her breath; she rolled to her side and pushed against the ground. Her muscles ached, and the cuts on her arms and legs stung, but she kept going. There had to be a safe place to sleep. Somewhere close, hopefully.

Juliet had to use every ounce of strength to get her first step. From then on, it was still tough, but she was able to push herself forward. She slid her feet across the asphalt, trying so hard to move quietly; it was just so hard when her body was weighed down by exhaustion. She figured the adrenalin was wearing down, because the further she walked, the less respondent she became to imaginary noises or shadows. She could get attacked by another infected person and she wouldn't notice until they had torn into her. This thought sent a tiny jolt of adrenalin through her. Enough to get her to think straight.

She looked around at the stores and buildings near her. What she saw was a Starbucks, a hair salon, a Wal-Mart, and a Dick's Sporting Goods. Which one did she need the most? There was no reason for a haircut at the moment. Coffee sounded great, but it would most likely attract too much attention than she wanted. Wal-Mart might have some Motrin. That sounded pleasant. But as Juliet stepped closer to the store, she saw a movement. Not a huge motion; a shadow crossing a moonlit isle. The store had residents. Great. Juliet looked at the Sport shop, hoping it was empty. Well, it was empty. And locked. Perfect. The only safe place and it's locked.

Minutes passed as Juliet thought through her problem. She could break the glass door, but that would be much too loud. She could look around back for an entrance, but she might find something she didn't want to find. The other option was to try to pick the lock; although that could take several minutes, and she might not have that.

_You've been standing here for seven minutes just planning this out, _she thought,_ just do it._

Juliet sighed and glanced to the ground, seeing if there were any rocks or sticks strong enough and thin enough for the job. Eventually, after a while of looking, she found some useful tools. She leaned down to get a look at the lock, and then went away at it. Pain seared through her arms and legs from the position she was in; she wanted desperately to stop and lie down; but she needed to get safe. This was an argument between her body and her mind; one that her body was not willing to loose. Her eyes grew heavy, and her vision became fuzzy as she mentally fought against herself to stay awake. Her eyes had closed for no more than a second before she heard a faint click. She opened her eyes and looked to the door; looked around; and then rushed inside, turning the lock behind her. Suddenly the dark, creepily empty space was a vacation spot, and

Juliet's body gave in to exhaustion. She fell to the ground, already asleep before she hit the floor.


	7. Chapter 7

**[Thanks so much for the reviews! Trust me, the story will get better. Please give me feedback! I **_**need**_** feedback!]**

The walls in the bedroom hall were decorated more than any other in the base.

Bright, vivid colors welcomed whoever entered the hall; as if saying this place was a place of peace, a place of joy. Juliet knocked at Elizabeth's door.

Elizabeth answered, smiling at Juliet when she did. "Juliet, how are you?"

The detective smiled back, "getting better...I heard you know some things about this outbreak."

Elizabeth's peaceful expression faded, "I know only what you know."

"I know you know more than that. Look, I'm just curious. My cop instincts are begging for information. It's what I do. I need to know what happened to everyone out there."

Elizabeth pursed her lips, and then sighed. She stepped back, allowing Juliet inside her room. The space was like Juliet's, except it included a second bed and some toys and smaller clothes for Benjamin. The two women sat on her bed, and Elizabeth reluctantly told her story.

"My job was with the CIA. It was a part of a branch; I only dealt with researching people and finding homes and stuff." Elizabeth took a breath, "there was a man. He was wanted. He wasn't usually a threat to anyone, not much anyway. He always had these experiments that people normally would think of as crazy. He tried giving people inhuman abilities or features. Like wings or telekinesis."

Juliet couldn't hide her intrigue. She sat upright, urging Elizabeth to continue. Elizabeth hesitated, "It was an attempt at creating immortals. A person that can't die - not that easy anyway. He made a mistake. He made an infection. A deadly, fast moving infection. And it turned into this."

Elizabeth shook her head, going to the door. She opened the door and left the room, quickly followed by Juliet. The detective stopped Elizabeth in her tracks,

"Why couldn't you just stop him and quarantine whoever he tested?"

Elizabeth opened her mouth to answer, but a terrified scream cut her off. Both women looked toward the sound,

"Benji?" Elizabeth called, running down the hall as her motherly instincts took over. Juliet followed; she held her hand to her right hip, where her gun would normally be. Unfortunately, she was unarmed; and she really needed a gun at the moment.

Out in the dining room, dozens of sick people flooded in through the abandoned hall. They sprinted toward the triplets, Brandon and Melissa, Marc; everyone.

Elizabeth was frozen in her tracks, searching for her son. All she could see was a crowd of furious, hungry cannibals. They attacked with speed and ferocity nobody expected. Juliet was stuck in her spot, watching as Brandon and Melissa were cornered by a group of infected. She couldn't see the couple; all she saw was blood. Blood everywhere. On the floors. On the walls. As Juliet realized this, she saw several of the horde sprinting towards her. She snapped out of her horrified daze; grabbed Elizabeth's arm; and led her back down the bedroom hall, stopping at the end.

Immediately she regretted the idea; turning to face the crowd of unwanted visitors. They ran down the hall, snarling and clawing at the air in hungry desperation. The women stepped back, against the wall; Juliet had her right arm in front of Elizabeth, as her cop instincts told her to protect the civilian.

The creatures stumbled on each other as they got closer to the women; one managed to get a hold of Juliet. He didn't hesitate; immediately he lunged for her neck. Juliet couldn't do anything to defend herself; she was already pushed up against the wall, crushed into a corner by a door. She could only tense up and await her death. The man's lips curled as he jumped for her throat, blood dripping from his mouth.

Juliet wanted to close her eyes, but she was stuck, feeling her heart beat faster as she heard his hungry growl. She felt his lips against her throat -felt his teeth just barely touch her skin - when everything stopped. A loud gunshot rang sharply in her left ear; the grip of the infected man disappeared, as well as the graze of his teeth; and blood sprayed as the man fell to the floor.

Juliet flinched, feeling the warm red liquid hit her face.

Another gunshot fired, and a sick woman fell down beside the man. Juliet jerked her head to see Tad, holding a pistol; aimed and firing at the rest of the infected that followed the women into the hall. Juliet looked to see if

Elizabeth was okay; the adult was looking at Juliet, seeming more scared than hurt. The detective felt a hand grab her arm, and she jumped to see her confronter. Erik had pulled Juliet into the room, and then Tad grabbed

Elizabeth. He slammed the door shut, securing the locks they had customized in to the door.

Tad and Erik turned to look at the women. Erik smiled slightly, "You should know not to let those guys corner you."

"You're lucky we were in here to help you." Tad said, walking over to the bathroom. He took a hand-towel from the counter; and returned to the group, giving the towel to Juliet. She accepted his offer and wiped off her face; surprised at how much blood there was. Tad huffed,

"Well we can't do anything else but sit here..."

Juliet froze at this. Wait? Just sit and wait until they died? That made her think. Was she going to die in that room? She didn't want to die; she wanted to see her friends again, she wanted to see if the world still had a chance of survival. Erik, seeming to sense Juliet's fear, cocked the shotgun in his hands,

"Melissa and Brandon have some antibiotics in their room. I can get some painkillers and muscle-relaxants; that can maybe help."

Tad looked at him like he was crazy, "what will painkillers and sleeping pills do to help anybody right now?"

"In case someone needs to chill, dude"

Tad rolled his eyes, "it's a waste."

Erik grumbled, "We need something to keep us alive and calm."

Juliet shook her head, "Don't go out there. They're all probably crowded by the door, having heard the guns."

Elizabeth, who had been quiet the whole time, started hyperventilating, "Benji's out there. My baby, I need my baby."

"Liz," Erik said, "he's okay. You know Benji; he's probably hiding in one of his secret places. If he's there, he's safe."

Elizabeth hesitated, but nodded; although she continued to cry silently. Juliet took her hands, the only way she could think to comfort her, and looked at Erik.

"So we sit here and wait?"

The boys shrugged and Tad answered, "Eventually they'll calm down and forget we're here. Then, we can put silencers on and kill them all."

"How long will that take?"

Tad pursed his lips, and then shrugged, "I dunno."

Although nobody wanted to hear those words at the moment. The group sighed together. They all knew this would be a long long night.

**[Sorry, this chapter wasn't as long. But, sometimes you do't need a long chapter to tell a story, right?...right.]**


	8. Chapter 8

**[I think you guys will be happy with this chapter…]**

Juliet sat on the bed, consoling Elizabeth while she cried. Tad was sharpening the knives, chatting with Erik, who was tossing a stress-ball into the air and catching it as it fell back down. They've been there for half an hour; the infected were still grouped by the door. Erik would check every ten minutes, listening for their groans. He guessed they would be stuck in the room for at least the rest of the night.

"They get more active at night," Erik explained, "It's like they have a better attention span at night. They don't get distracted as easily."

Juliet nodded; she could attest to that. A shiver ran down her spine as he recalled her last night above ground. She closed her eyes, pushing the thoughts to the back of her head. The last thing she wanted to think about was that night. It was the night she lost her friends and family, the night she nearly died on several occasions; the night the world officially ended in her mind.

"Well we'll let the night pass, but that's as long as I'm going." Tad muttered,

"I'm gonna clear a path to the door and we're gonna get out."

Juliet sighed quietly at the boys' eagerness to get themselves killed. Besides, where would they go after they got out? They would just be walking lunch for everyone outside.

A thud at the door brought the group to turn their heads to the sound. Another thud played. Tad and Erik ignored it, while the women kept their eyes on the door; the infected had done that before. They slammed into the door every now and then; either they were tripping over each other and bumping against the metal, or they were attempting at opening the door. It wouldn't surprise anyone, that's how they got into the base in the first place. Another thud played, followed by a fierce snarl. More growls joined the noise, growing to an angry roar of hungry soulless creatures. The four looked to the door, curious about what was happening. They glanced to each other, worry building inside them. The growls turned to snarls, which turned to screams; loud, angry screams. And then they stopped; they faded away, leaving down the hall and to the dining room.

Immediately after, gunshots fired. They were faint; in the dining room. Several sets of guns shot, never ceasing. The four looked at each other.

The gunshots echoed, moving closer down the hall. They paused; the weapons were reloaded and the holders walked around for a moment. Someone was messing around with the handles on each door in the hall; they stopped after three doors.

He cursed aloud, "they're all locked, and the doors are too strong to kick in."

Juliet stiffened. She recognized that stern, angry voice. She jumped off the bed and ran to the door. Before anyone could stop her or ask what she was doing, she opened the door and bolted out to the hall.

The man turned to her, unprepared for her embrace.

Juliet smiled, "you're alive."

"So are you." he replied, hardly getting over the surprise.

"How-" she was interrupted when Conners walked into the hall. He wore an expression of surprise when he saw the blond detective.

"Is Landon...?"

Juliet shook her head solemnly. Conners glanced down at the floor, took a breath, and nodded, "well at least you're alright. That's what counts."

Juliet nodded and looked back to the door when the rest of the group came out.

They looked at the two newcomers curiously. Tad and Erik immediately lost their attention to the gun in Lassiter's hands. They gawked at the weapon; Lassiter wore an expression of pride, due to their intrigue. Elizabeth was balling, heading out of the hall; she picked up Benji when he ran up to her, tears gushing down his cheeks. Juliet followed, feeling the need to keep an eye on her.

They entered the dining room and Juliet stopped in her tracks at the scene; bodies lay all over the floor, covered in blood. She saw the bodies of Brandon and Melissa, torn apart; hardly noticeable as humans. She grimaced at their mauled stomachs and shredded chests.

But the only thing that caught her attention was the young man sitting against the wall, holding his hands to his forehead; his medium-brown hair fell just over his closed eyes. His lips were pressed together into a thin line; his eyebrows furrowed down into a disheartened expression. He held a pistol in his hands; subconsciously playing with the safety lock, flicking the switch up and down with his thumb. Upon seeing him, Juliet's heart raced. She couldn't believe it.

"Shawn," she called

The brunette's head snapped up, eyes locking on the detective. Joy immediately replaced the sorrow in his eyes; and he pushed off the floor to his feet, already running to Juliet. He opened his arms and she flew into his embrace, hugging around his neck. Shawn tightened his grip around Juliet, burying his face into her hair.

He Leaned away to get a look at her; her blond hair fell around her, tangled and clotted with blood. Faint red marks stained her skin; dried blood stuck to her forehead and neck, holding her hair against her skin. Juliet was a mess, but she was more beautiful than Shawn had ever seen.

He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, feeling the warmth of her touch spread through him.

Juliet closed her eyes, tightening her fists around his hair. She had waited too long to know if Shawn was okay; for over a week she had regretted letting Shawn go inside the Police department. But he was okay, and now that she had him back, she wasn't going to let him go.

Shawn took a breath; he could barely smell the familiar, sweet scent of Juliet's hair; and he pulled away, taking one more look at her.

He wanted to say something to her; anything. But he couldn't get his thoughts into words. Juliet broke the silence,

"How did you find this place?"

Shawn glanced behind them to Lassiter and Conners, and then looked at Juliet.

"Conners and I found Lassie and Buzz in the station. We helped them out and got

outside." he said lightly, "We got to the base in Los Angeles, where we ran into dad. I'm surprised her hadn't had a heart attack yet."

Juliet lit up, "really? It's safe?"

Shawn nodded, beaming at her smile, "Totally Safe. They have cameras and motion sensors everywhere outside and there are even snipers. It's like a jail, only cleaner, friendlier, and with better food." He smiled.

"Which we should be getting back to," Conners said, coming out with the other three men. Lassiter nodded, looking at his watch,

"It's three in the morning. We can leave now and get back by tomorrow morning."

Everyone grimaced at the thought of traveling in the dark, but they knew that moving in groups - armed groups - was safer. The more guns and eyes, the more protection. That was their theory, at least.


	9. Chapter 9

The group was fairly large; eleven people. Seven of those had guns (Shawn, Conners, Lassiter, Buzz, Tad, Erik, and Juliet) forming a wall around the four that did not (Rem, Lucy, Benjamin, and Elizabeth). They went through the abandoned hallway to the elevator. Being that this was the way Shawn, Lassiter, buzz, and Connors had come, a path was made.

The store was a horrible mess. Boxes of cereal and oatmeal and junk food were splayed along the tile. Crumbs and crushed ding-dongs littered the floor. The frozen food section was shut down, and the stench of rotting milk and eggs filled the air. Clothes were on the ground, ripped and dirty. Survival packs were scattered in pieces all around the store. Bandages and alcohol wipes were hidden, like Easter eggs in a jungle of mess and chaos.

Just looking around, it was easy to tell nothing was useful. Looking around, it was also easy to see that there had been a war between the dead and the dying.

The sick people didn't stand a chance, and that was portrayed by the large amount of half-eaten bodies on the floor. Everyone covered their noses and mouths whilst passing through the store.

Not like the outside was any better. Juliet almost stopped in her tracks when she saw what had come of her home. It was a thousand times worse than how it had been only a week ago. Shawn noticed her reluctance and he took her hand, encouraging her to follow, "We cleared this place out, Jules. It's only been fifteen minutes since we were up here. It's safe."

Juliet followed him, gripping his hand tight. She moved at his quick pace, sure to be as close to him as she could. She felt safe with him. Despite his limp and occasional flinch, she felt safe with him.

It was silent as they walked. Nobody had anything to say. Of course, Juliet had plenty of questions to ask. But she decided to wait till they were safe in the base. Then a voice rang in her head, giving her a thought she really preferred not to hear.

_"Unless you don't make it back," its_ tone was rich with amusement and pleasure,_ "you could all die out there. You _will_ all die out there."_

Juliet shook her head, banishing the voice. Shawn glanced to her, "you alright?"

"Fine." she paused, "What made you come to Bulwark?"

Shawn gave a light shrug, as if the answer were no more important than the color of his shoes, "The base people sent out these Search and Rescue teams all throughout the state."

"Why did you choose to come?"

"And let Lassie get all the action? No way."

Juliet only gave a half-hearted smile. She didn't feel like forcing a laugh at the moment. Usually she wouldn't have to force one, but she was so exhausted.

"_You'll fall asleep before you get there_," the voice in her head snickered, "_You won't even be awake when those things are tearing into you._"

Juliet grimaced at the thought as pushed it away, looking at Shawn, "I think I would have preferred you to stay there. Stay safe"

Shawn dropped his gaze to her, studying her worried face. He gave a light sigh and wore a fair expression of discomfort, "I wanted to know you were there."

"What?"

"Jules, we left a while after you guys. You ought to have gotten to the base before us." Shawn paused, "but I saw something that Conners didn't." he was speaking in a low tone now, so low that Juliet had to move in closer to hear his voice, "I saw Landon's body."

Juliet turned to face him, images of her last night outside flashing through her mind. Shawn grimaced lightly, "I hardly noticed him, but I know it was him." He hesitated, "I saw him and I started wondering, is Jules okay? Where is she?"

"You wanted to know I was alive."

The brunette nodded, falling silent.

Juliet took his hand again and gripped it tightly, "well I'm here."

Shawn looked over to her and smiled, rubbing his thumb over hers.

It took a minute to realize they had fallen to the back of the group. They hardly noticed when everyone stopped. Both looked up to see the reason for delay. Conners had turned to face them, holding his index finger to his lips.

Lassiter was holding his gun up, mirrored by the two Gun-Enthusiasts beside him. The three were looking at a group of people.

Juliet and Shawn moved to stand beside them, now raising their weapons. Upon looking toward the crowd, Tad and Eric adjusted their guns, preparing to fire.

Lassiter held out his left hand to stop them,

"That'll attract too much attention."

Tad sneered, "We have enough people to kill them all."

"We won't be fast enough." Shawn muttered, staring down in another direction.

The head detective followed his glare down the street to a different pack of infected. They were further down the street, but a single gunshot would have them charging down toward the survivors. Everyone's stomachs twisted; what do they do now?

Lassiter glanced between the two hordes, weighing the possibilities of their options. Technically they only had two options, which had two outcomes. They could shoot, which would either end in victory or agonizing, terrifying defeat.

Or they could wait it off or find a new route, which would either end in salvation, or a dead end. Anyone could see he was struggling with decisions.

Shawn pursed his lips, mirroring Lassiter's indecisive looks. His idea was different. Which was the easiest to run through, and what was the quickest and safest way to run with a numb leg? That was an obvious answer; neither and there were none

Shawn looked to Juliet, and then Lassiter. He could see they were deciding, but nobody was taking into account that he couldn't walk very fast, let alone run.

A chill ran down his spine. Hopefully they would think of that before making any decisions.

The group stood silently for several minutes. It was a surprise they hadn't been noticed...not until luck had decided they were getting away too easily. It seemed too perfectly synchronized; one infected person from both groups spotted the survivors. Suddenly, snarls played down the streets, ricocheting off the buildings and walls, making them sound much louder and closer than they were.

Both hordes rocketed down the streets, cornering the band of survivors much too quickly to defend themselves.

The whole thing happened in a blur. The defenseless scattered, and the armed fired. Gunshots rang through the city streets; screams echoed against the buildings; the air rumbled with snarls and growls.

Juliet fired. She shot her gun in every direction, too terrified to even blink.

All she could think was "shoot shoot shoot shoot." And just as quickly as it started it ended. The scratches and screeches stopped. The blasting sounds of firing weapons faded, only the echoes remaining. The smell of blood and smoke filled the air, mixing together to make a nauseating aroma. That plus the terror and panic of the moment had a couple survivors double over and vomit.

Only a few survived the attack. Juliet was one. Lassiter, Eric, Tad, and Shawn were the last four. As Juliet looked around at the newly formed battle zone, she saw much more than just a group of innocent civilians lying dead on the floor.

She saw the bodies of her friends. The caring mother and her child. The protective artist and his baby sister. The brave young soldier that was trained for everything but this. The innocent, selfless cop, that she had known for years.

Juliet gulped, moving her stare away from the bodies. She saw Eric helping his friend up from the ground. Lassiter was pinching the bridge of his nose, seemingly trying to keep calm. Shawn was staring down at his gun, biting his lower lip.

He didn't know what to think. He didn't know what to feel. He was numb. Numb, yet he could feel it in his arm. It felt cold. So cold it burned. Yet, it tingled. And it itched and stung and throbbed. All of that was in one spot, and that one spot was emphasized. Not only was it emphasized by the immense amount

of pain in such a small area, but he could sense it all; he could feel every muscle, ever nerve twitching in pain and tensing in every attempt to free his body of the toxic agony running through him. Shawn bit down harder on his lip; thick liquid leaked onto his tongue, tasting rotten and sweet at the same time.

The brunette glanced down to his arm; where the pain originated, and from where it was slowly spreading to the rest of his body. Dark crimson flowed rather smoothly from an unseen wound. He could see the quicker flowing blood with each pulse, each beat of his heart. The liquid ran around the curve of his arm, dripping to the ground. Suddenly he felt sick. He felt the blood drain from his head, and his stomach dropped. He probably would have keeled over and puked if

Juliet hadn't tapped his arm.

Shawn flinched away, jerking back to the present. He looked up from the ground to see the deep blue eyes of his most favorite detective in the world. A smile formed on his lips and he reached up to touch her face before he could stop himself.

"You got a little something on your cheek." he muttered, wiping a drop of blood away with his thumb. Juliet gave a half-hearted expression of humor. She looked down and saw Shawn's arm. Immediately panic filled her eyes.

Shawn swung his arm behind him; he wanted so desperately to scream in pain that the movement gave him. Juliet only grabbed him and examined the wound. Shawn flinched, gritting his teeth,

"I'm fine. It's a cut from the gun. Someone jerked the Butt of their rifle against my arm. It's okay."

Juliet was unconvinced, and she called behind her to Lassiter. The detective came over and took a hold of Shawn's arm. Searing pain shot through his veins, feeling as if every fiber of his skin was being freeze-burned. He jerked away;

Lassiter gripped tighter, commenting to stand still.

A groan slipped from Shawn's throat, "I'm fine. Stop touching me!"

Shawn jerked his arm away again, this time freeing himself. He hissed at the pain it brought. By then the feeling had spread to his shoulder, near to his heart. A thought ran through his head instantly.

"_Sucks for you_." it snickered, "_you're gonna die_."

Shawn growled at himself, forbidding any thoughts like that. He WAS going to live. He spent days trying to find Juliet, there was no way he was just going to leave her.

Juliet touched his right arm, the one that didn't seem to bother him. Shawn looked up to her and put on a smile, although it was a pathetic attempt at hiding any pain. Juliet looked at Lassiter, who had a grave expression. He turned down the street toward their previous destination,

"We need to go. Now."

A pang of fear ran through Juliet. He can't be...

She had to make sure.

"What happened?"

Lassiter hardly looked back, checking his weapon for ammo, "He's been bitten."

No. He couldn't have. No way. Not now. All this time Juliet had sworn to herself to make sure he was safe. She couldn't have failed. She couldn't have let her guard down so easily.

Shawn forced out a single laugh, which only sent a sharp pain to his chest. "I'm alright, lassie. No need to rush..."

Juliet looked at him, and then touched her hand to his forehead. A fresh wave of fear spread through her.

"You're already hot..."

At this, Shawn forced another laugh, "I've always been hot, Jules."

Juliet found no humor in his comment, and she put her hand to his back, leading him to Lassiter. The Gun-Boys joined the three, eyeing Shawn carefully. Lassiter and Juliet knew what they were thinking. Lassiter was the one that spoke.

"If we move quickly, we might be able to make it to the base." he said, scanning the road ahead of them. His gun was high and ready to be fired. Anything that moved would become a target.

Eric made a face, "this virus spreads faster than even twelve hours."

Tad nodded, "there's no way-"

"I don't want to hear a word from you, got it?" Lassiter snapped, glaring at the two boys. They quickly shut their mouths, but their expressions said they had little faith in Shawn's survival.

The three ignored their looks and trudged down the road. Not a single second was wasted; they had little time as it was. Everyone walked with speed; with a meaning other than "get there safely." thankfully the streets were empty. It was about time they had gotten some good luck. Although, that was the only thing decent about the walk. The chilly air slowed their pace and threatened to attack

Shawn's weakening immune system. He was already shaking and his head was burning up. Although, the cold air felt a little soothing to him. Not much, and not for long, but it took his mind off of the pain, if for only a second.

Juliet wouldn't go five steps before she would look over to Shawn, observing his condition. He obviously noticed, and it wasn't a secret that it was beginning to annoy him, but she couldn't help it. It was like a nervous tick. To her, it was completely justifiable; she was worried. Not even that anymore; she was scared.

That was the only thing she could think to do besides actually asking how he was every two minutes. And it wasn't her fault she was scared. Was it? Of course, she didn't make those things see the group. She didn't make them bite Shawn. But she didn't even think to defend him. It was all about her. Shoot to save herself. She could have prevented this. She could have at least tried.

It was growing to irk Shawn; having Juliet constantly look over to him. Like he couldn't care for himself. As if her staring at him would heal his wounds. Shawn shook his head, refusing to face any other direction than forward. If he didn't see her, she wouldn't annoy him. And that thought surprised him. Juliet had never irritated Shawn, especially not as intensely as she was now. Nothing she did could ever anger him...

Shawn shook it off. It was probably an effect of the bite. That was a symptom, after all...wasn't it?

Shawn thought back to the first day of the breakthrough. The conversation was a blur, but so far as he could recall, irritation was a symptom...why couldn't he remember that well? Was forgetfulness a symptom, too? He didn't recall hearing anything about that. Yet again, he could barely remember much of any of that day.

Whatever. He didn't care at the moment. The only thing on his mind was pain and exhaustion. And he was hungry. Actually, no, he wasn't hungry at all. In fact, he felt sick. Very sick.

Shawn slowed his steps, feeling the blood drain from his face. His head became numb, and his stomach twisted so hard he dropped to his knees and vomited. He could sense that everyone stopped around him and looked back. They were concerned, but at the moment Shawn could care less. His thoughts swam as he stared down at the asphalt beneath him. He felt numb and dizzy and weak. The rocks in the pavement pressed against his palms, puncturing his skin; but he hardly felt it, let alone cared. It didn't matter. That cut was nothing compare to the burning, freezing, stinging, shocking, stabbing, piercing, throbbing; uncontrollably excruciating agony that was now swimming throughout his whole body.

His ears rang, muting out any outside noises. Beneath the dull hum of flowing blood in his body, he heard his name. The voice was familiar, but it was too distant to even guess a name. It continued calling him, growing clearer with every attempt...

"Shawn!"

Suddenly the world came to life. He could hear the faint breeze around them, the quiet crunch of gravel under the feet of his friends, his own ragged breathing as he sat bent over on the ground.

His focus became clear, and his vision returned. Beneath himself, Shawn saw his previous breakfast, and a small puddle of blood forming; growing larger with each new drop of the liquid falling from the tip of his nose.

Shawn felt a warm touch on his shoulder, and he blinked into focus. He moved his glare from the ground to meet a pair worried blue eyes.

"Shawn, are you okay?" Juliet asked, unable to hide the quiver in her voice. She watched as the brunette nodded numbly, slowly moving to stand up.

His face was white as snow, and the red stream of blood leaking from his nose was only emphasized against his pale skin. Shawn lifted a shaky hand to wipe his nose, and he looked forward.

"I'm fine. Let's keep going."

Juliet looked at Lassiter, and reluctantly continued moving. She watched as her partner silently prepared his gun, holding his finger close to the trigger. A shot of panic ran through her. He was planning on shooting Shawn.

It didn't surprise her; it was basic instinct to decide to kill the infected before the infected killed them. But it was Shawn. He couldn't do that - not so soon. He still had a chance. They were only a few hours to go, at most.

"Carlton." Juliet muttered, trying hard to keep the fear out of her tone.

Lassiter glanced to her,

"He's not getting any better. We won't get there in time."

"It's only a few more hours."

"He doesn't have a few more hours, O'Hara."

Juliet sped up to match his pace, "you don't know that."

Carlton leaned in to her and spoke harshly, "look at him, Juliet. He's suffering. He's already in the last stages of symptoms. The only thing we haven't seen him deal with is hallucinations."

Juliet glanced behind her to Shawn. The brunette was slugging behind them, keeping his stare at the ground. A drop of blood leaked from the corner of his eye, the trickle causing him to twitch and slow his pace. On top of his pale skin, dark rings around his eyes had formed, showing the true extent of his exhausted and sick condition.

Juliet bit her lip, feeling tears well up in her eyes. She turned back to face forward, looking at Lassiter's gun.

He was right. He was doing what most people would do. It was a matter of survival against the sick, no matter who they were before. Because they're not that person anymore. But it was Shawn. He couldn't kill Shawn - not now. Not so close to the base. Not so close to safety. He couldn't die.

Her lips quivered and Juliet pressed them tightly together. Tears formed at the brim of her eyes, quickly spilling down her cheeks. She raised her hand to wipe them away when Lassiter slowed down. He glanced behind himself to Shawn, and then looked forward. Juliet knew what he was thinking. She watched him carefully as he walked, moving to look at his gun every now and then.

Carlton had debated whether or not to end it. Right then and there; shoot the psychic and put both him out of his misery and the group out of danger. He looked back and observed the boy's state. Shawn was slugging behind the group, staring down at his feet. Sometimes he glanced to one of his sides, wearing a temporary expression of fear or anger. It was happening now; Shawn was beginning to see hallucinations. That was it. That was the last symptom.

Carlton pursed his lips, growing worried. Not just for himself, but for Juliet.

For the two young men that were with them. For Shawn. Although he would never admit it, he respected Shawn. He did have concerns for the adult's safety, due to the many stupid and reckless stunts he had pulled off over the years. And seeing the boy suffer like he was, seeing him grow closer and closer to the end

-and to harming the others; it was a struggle. Carlton needed to end it. He needed to make sure the others were safe. It was too late for Shawn, and anyway there was no way to help him. There was no cure. Not even close.

The detective looked at Shawn one last time before making a definite choice to wait for the end.


	10. Chapter 10

When Shawn was twelve, he went through a "zombie apocalypse survival" phase. He had filled his closet with all of the canned food and first-aid kits he could find. Then he would find candles and matches, and water. Every night he would spend the night in the closet, holding a weapon next to him. Of course, at that age, "weapon" for him meant his Styrofoam sword. One night, his dad came up to his room to finally tell him to get out of the phase. He opened the door and

Shawn jumped out, jabbing the foam sword at his dad. Henry grabbed the weapon and threw it on the ground, glaring back into the closet. He looked at his son.

"What are you doing, Shawn? All of our soups are stacked up in your closet, and you're falling asleep in there like some psychotic mental patient."

Shawn made a face, "I'm preparing for a zombie attack, dad."

Henry scoffed, "There are no such things as zombies. They're a stupid myth made up to scare little kids."

"You don't know that."

"I do know that, Shawn."

Shawn wore a defiant expression. "How do you know? Did you ever see one?"

Henry crossed his arms, "no. Because they don't exist." he nodded to the closet,

"Clean this up." and with that he left.

Shawn couldn't help but think back to that day. That specific conversation.

Zombies don't exist. Zombies DON'T exist, Shawn. They're fake. They are not real. Grow up and look away from the sci-fi channel for once; focus on actually living a life rather than wasting your time on made-up garbage.

Shawn chuckled, despite his condition, "who's Smart now, dad? Who should listen now?"

Juliet glanced back to him, and before she could ask, he said: "Doing just fine, Jules."

Of course, he was cut off by a sick cough so strong that he had to stop moving and bend over. Everyone stopped and looked at him. The young gun-men glanced around the streets. Tad stepped up,

"We can't keep going like this. He's getting worse."

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" Lassiter warned, shooting a glare to Tad.

Erik defended his friend, "You have to accept that he isn't gonna make it. I'm sorry. It sucks. But he's been infected for almost fourteen hours already.

That's two hours past the longest lifespan of someone infected. He can't have very long left."

Lassiter glared At Erik, stepping closer to him, "He's a part of this group. I don't know about you, but I don't leave anyone behind. No matter who it is or how annoying they can be."

Usually this would scare someone, but Erik only stood his ground. "I understand.

But he is going to die. There's no hiding it. There's no point in lying to ourselves. He can barely walk anymore. He can barely stand. He's gonna die."

Juliet saw Lassiter turn red, and she stepped in, "we're only a little ways away. We can't be more than an hour. We can make it."

"And then what? Let him die inside the base? Who ever said there was a cure?"

That made Juliet pause. She didn't notice nobody mentioned a cure. Erik was right. Even if he did make it, how would they keep him alive after that? They couldn't possibly have created the medicine that could help. It was too quick.

There was no hope now. Her heart dropped; she looked to the ground.

Lassiter stepped forward, "We don't give up, either way. We've been gone for four days. It's been three weeks since this all started. Nearly three. Who know what could have happened."

Erik furrowed his brows, "how could a cure be made up so easily?"

"Even if it's not a full cure, it could help him."

"Doubtful."

Now both men were glaring at each other. Juliet had pushed back tears and straightened her back. "Well, standing here isn't going to help," she said, "so let's take the chance and get him to safety."

Lassiter gave a stiff nod and continued down the street. Erik glanced to Shawn, and reluctantly followed with tad. Juliet went to Shawn, touching his arm. He jumped a little. Juliet straightened his back.

"We're almost there. Okay Shawn? Almost there."

Shawn hardly paid her any attention. He blinked and moved his stare to her, but then looked back down. Juliet, although worried, pushed him to move forward. Only a little more to go. Just a few more steps; just over this hill...

Everyone stopped, looking at the building just down the street. There were brick walls surrounding it, with barbed wire curled around on top. Four towers stood taller than the walls, allowing lookouts and snipers up there. From the distance they were at, it looked like a high-security jail. But they knew it was more.

They knew it was a safe haven. Even the road to the base looked genuinely clean.

Everyone smiled at each other. Tad to Erik. Erik to Lassiter. Lassiter to

Juliet. Juliet to Shawn...Shawn hardly noticed. He was swaying lightly, intently focused on the asphalt. Juliet reached out to him when the other three began to leave. Shawn shook his head, muttering something she couldn't hear. Juliet stepped to face him, urging him to move.

Shawn only shook his head again, "I'm too tired, Jules."

Juliet panicked, touching his arm, "Shawn we're so close. Once we get inside, you can lie down."

He shook his head once more, swaying again, "Or I can lie down...here."

"no." she said. "No, Shawn. Don't do this. Not this close. Not so close."

The three boys overheard the conversation and turned to face them. Lassiter gestured for Tad and Erik to go to the base, which they did, and he went to his partner.

Juliet was starting to panic; her breathing was quick and her face was pale.

Shawn was losing; he was looking tired and weak and dizzy. Lassiter went to

Juliet, although talking to Shawn.

"Spencer get your feet off the ground and start moving before I get mad."

At this Shawn only chuckled - a weak wispy chuckle. "I should have respected you more, lassie."

Lassiter grew cold at this, "shut up, Spencer. Don't waste energy on words. Get moving, come on."

The psychic glanced to Juliet, "Don't take this wrong. I just need to get my thoughts out. I-"

"Don't, Shawn. Please, just walk." Juliet asked

Shawn frowned and looked at the ground; "I'm dizzy..." he swayed again, so far that Juliet had to hold him to keep him from falling. Lassiter growled, "Then we'll drag you inside." he moved to grab Shawn, but the psychic slightly leaned away.

"Tell dad that I's right...n'that I know he means best for me." Shawn slurred.

Juliet was terrified now. She couldn't move herself to force Shawn to walk. All she could do was watch and listen. Lassiter was caught off-guard. Shawn was never the one to suddenly give up. But now that's what he was doing. He was just throwing in the towel, letting the virus kill him. Why? Why now?

He shook his head, "YOU tell him, Spencer."

Juliet tried nudging him forward, "Shawn please..."

"Jules, you're fine...you're great. You're swell. And I'd always protect you."

Shawn muttered.

Juliet felt tears well in her eyes. She pursed her lips, holding back a sob,

"And I'd protect you right back."

Shawn moved his glare from the ground to Juliet, forcing a small smile, "I love you." And then he closed his eyes, let out a breath, and collapsed.

Juliet dropped down to help him. She reached for Shawn's hand, barely touching his wrist before Lassiter pulled her up. The junior detective turned to her partner for only a second before looking at Shawn, "let go. Please, I have to help him. Shawn!"

"O'Hara..." Lassiter muttered, still holding her away. She tried getting out of his grip,

"Shawn, please don't do this! Don't do this!"

"Juliet. It's over. It's too late." Lassiter began to pull her away, toward the base.

"No...No Shawn. No please no..." Juliet refused to move. She watched Shawn through teary eyes, hoping and praying for him to get up. Please get up. Please don't die.

Lassiter began to pull her away; Juliet was reluctantly allowing him to lead her; both detectives were slowly moving to the base. When his eyes opened. Immediately Juliet stopped, "Shawn! Shawn! Carlton he's still okay, don't leave him. Shawn get up, please!"

Lassiter still pulled her away, "O'Hara he's not okay. He's far from okay."

Juliet refused to believe him. She fought back, moving to Shawn. "He's okay.

He's okay!"

Shawn stared forward for a moment before moving his glare to Juliet. Chills went down her spine; his eyes were clouded. He began to move, slowly climbing to his feet. Lassiter grew worried and pulled Juliet away with his left hand. He took out his gun with his right hand, speaking calmly as he prepared it.

"O'Hara don't look."

"What?" she said, "no. No, no, no; don't do that. Please don't do that!"

Lassiter grumbled, glancing to Shawn, who was on his feet.

"Close your eyes, O'Hara..."

Juliet refused, shaking her head, "No no, don't. Please don't."

Lassiter had no choice. He moved his left arm up, covering Juliet's eyes. Juliet struggled, squirming against his grip. She clawed at his arm, begging and pleading for him to put the gun down. Her mind raced. She had to stop him. She had to keep Shawn safe. That WAS Shawn. It couldn't be any other person. It couldn't be one of those monsters. It just couldn't be.

Juliet thrashed and struggled, trying to remove Lassiter's hand. Tears flooded her eyes and sobs filled her desperate pleas. Then suddenly a loud shot filled the air, and everything was still. Juliet froze in her spot; Lassiter relaxed his grip on her.

The only sound in the world was the wind blew quietly around them, which was soon accompanied by Juliet's cries. Tears ran down her cheeks, her body shook with her sobs; Lassiter let his hand drop down to her shoulder, allowing her to move. Immediately her hands covered her face and she sunk to her knees.

She was barely aware of anything around her anymore. It didn't matter. The only thing that mattered to her was gone. Now nothing mattered. So she wasn't aware of anything else then. She just sat there and cried. Until Lassiter pulled her up. He let her lean into him as they walked. Of course, she didn't want to walk.

She wanted to sit in the road and stay there forever. But Lassiter wouldn't permit that. So she dragged herself inside, sitting in the nearest chair she found, and cried.

Lassiter sat her down when they were inside. He sat her down and then let her be. She needed time alone, and eventually other people would go up to comfort her. But now, he just needed to sit down himself, and make sense of it all.

What had he just done? Did he just shoot Shawn? After all those years of threats, he finally shot Shawn? No. No, he didn't. He didn't shoot Shawn, because that wasn't Shawn. Shawn was already dead. He just shot the same thing he had been killing all week. That's all...but why did he feel so guilty? It wasn't his fault he was bitten. Of course, he was supposed to make sure everyone got back safely. And the fact that he didn't protect Shawn in the first place made him responsible.

But he didn't kill Shawn. The virus did. That idiotic mad scientist did. He did all of this. Not Lassiter. He had to remember that. It wasn't Lassiter's fault.

It wasn't anybody's fair besides that stupid dead doctor.

So now what? Lassiter looked around him, seeing how people sat; conversed; consoled; or prepared for the trip to a new life. Oh yeah, the island. The only safe island there. Their new temporary home until all of the sick died off.

Lassiter felt a warm feeling inside him. At least they would be safe and be able to start new. And that's what he had to look forward to now. No looking behind himself. It's look forward. Look forward and anticipate their future.


End file.
